Studies show that employees who bring dogs to the office make happier workers
By Eric Hayes
The Daily Record Newswire
BOISE, ID - If the trend of dogs in offices continues on its present course, mason jars full of bone-shaped biscuits may become as common as magnetic paperclip holders on desktops.
"In San Francisco, everyone wants to bring their dogs to work," said Ephraim Greenwall, who owns commercial property in Idaho and California.
Greenwall said a "no pets" policy can be a deal-breaker because an employer can lose prospective talent when they don't allow dogs.
"These animals often play a surrogate for young professionals that choose not to have children, and having their dog at work is important to them," he said. As Greenwall spoke by phone, he mentioned that a colleague's dog was sitting in a chair across the desk from him.
"So maybe I'm biased," said Greenwall. "But I feel that dogs create a more human workspace, and psychological studies have shown that animals in office environments increase focus and decrease stress."
Greenwall is right; studies back up findings that say individuals who bring their dogs to the office make happier workers. One, conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Business, found that employees who brought their dogs to work reported lower levels of stress at the end of the workday than employees who didn't bring dogs to work. While workers say they feel less stress, scientific research hasn't backed that up - researchers observed no difference between control groups in stress hormone levels when measured via saliva samples.
Though countless other studies have verified the calming effect pets have on their owners, little hard information is available on the link between productivity and dogs at work. Although the VCU study found that workplace pets can serve as a "low-cost wellness intervention [that] may enhance organizational satisfaction and perceptions of support," researchers ultimately determined further research with larger sample sizes was needed to replicate the findings of the initial study.
Data probably won't affect the attitudes of people who already enjoy bringing their dogs to work, though.
Cheryl Bloom, a Boise resident who is also an advocate for users of service animals, said basic obedience training is necessary to minimize the fear and annoyance of non-dog lovers.
"Some people who rely on their dogs for emotional security haven't trained their pets to get along in public. Unfortunately, this can have a negative impact on peoples' attitudes toward service animals in general," she said.
Bloom noted that a pet that helps an owner deal with mental health issues like anxiety or depression can't be considered a "Service Animal" unless it's been trained to perform tasks for a person to help overcome a specific limitation resulting from a disability. Bloom's service dog, Fallon, is trained to help her with balance issues associated with Multiple Sclerosis. Animals trained to perform specific services receive protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the law provides guidelines to help employers make arrangements with employees who use service animals.
On the other hand, "Therapy Animals" (whose mere presence helps owners deal with mental health issues) do not receive federal protections - though some states have created provisions that extend some benefits to their owners.
Fallon sat beneath a table when Bloom was interviewed for this story. Though Fallon was mostly well-behaved, she did bark on two occasions: once when a heavy-stepping man interrupted the conversation to offer her a dog biscuit ("I got two Rottweilers in the back of my truck," said the man), and once when a small child entered the building.
"Fallon's not used to children," said Bloom, reaching down to correct her dog's behavior with a calming stroke of her palm. "They move too fast for her. So we work on socialization every time we're in public."
If the coffee shop patrons were disturbed by Fallon's barking, they didn't show it. But the reaction would most likely be different if the woofs of a well-loved pet disturbed a tense meeting between an aggrieved client and a hired professional on the 20th floor of a downtown office building.
"Some buildings are laid out for dogs, and others aren't," said Jeremy Malone, vice president at Oppenheimer Development Corp., which manages One Capital Center in Boise. One Capital Center has a "no dogs" policy, but Malone says that hasn't been an issue thus far.
"No tenants have asked to bring dogs into the building. You see it more often in the tech industry, where they're looking for warehouse-style spaces with easier access to outside. Multi-level buildings with elevators aren't conducive to dogs, for obvious reasons. But the market's always evolving, and policies and floor-plans could change to accommodate renters' needs."
Clay Carley, whose company, Old Boise, owns several downtown properties, welcomes dogs at the buildings he owns and manages. He brings his own dog, Buster, to work on days that he won't be leaving the office for meetings.
"However, the dogs must not disturb anyone," Carley said of his dog-friendly policy. "Bad manners may mean being banned from the premises. That goes for tenants as well."
Clif Bar, which is building a large plant in Twin Falls, maintains a pro-dog stance at its Emeryville, Calif., headquarters. But dogs won't be welcome when the company's plant opens in Twin Falls in the spring.
"It's just not practical for a bakery to have dogs on the premises," said Dean Mayer, Clif Bar's communications manager.
Right now, building owners and employers are responsible for determining whether or not a company can institute dog-friendly policies. However, employees with documented allergies or dog-related psychological issues might have some legal recourse to limiting the presence of dogs in places where they work.
"Dogs are a whole ongoing conversation. It's super difficult. It's not about bringing your dog to work, it's about, 'Is it a service animal?" said Krisjan Hiner, the president of the Idaho Building Owners and Managers Association, or BOMA. "Nationally, BOMA is struggling with this right now. We're trying to figure out best practices and universal guidelines to follow."
But the trend hasn't yet led to changes in law.
"The regulatory force of the market is handling the situation now," said Greenwall.
Published: Mon, Jan 04, 2016
